Reticle defect correction by second exposure

ABSTRACT

Correction of reticle defects, such as EUV reticle defects, is accomplished with a second exposure. Embodiments include obtaining a reticle with a first pattern corresponding to a design for a wafer pattern, detecting dark defects and/or design/OPC weak spots in the first pattern, exposing a resist covered wafer using the reticle, and exposing the wafer using a second reticle with a second pattern or a second image field with openings corresponding to the dark defects, with a repair pattern on the reticle or on another reticle, or with a programmed e-beam or laser writer.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/244,426filed Sep. 24, 2011, the entirety of which is incorporated herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to corrections of reticle defects ordesign or OPC weak spots by a second exposure. The present disclosure isparticularly applicable to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) reticles, forsemiconductor devices in 28 nanometer (nm) and 20 nm technology nodesand beyond.

BACKGROUND

A lithographic photomask, or reticle, is conventionally used forpatterning wafers. Reticle defects at critical points in the design maylead to a total chip yield loss. This issue is particularly severe forEUV technology where defect-free reticles are difficult to obtain, aswill be explained below. An EUV reticle is formed from an EUV blank,which includes a reflective multilayer dielectric stack (for example,fifty alternating layers) on a non-transmissive (to EUV radiation)substrate. Due to the complex build, it is currently impossible tomanufacture EUV blanks that are entirely free of defects. Blank inducedEUV reticle defects are often irreparable, but may be avoided byshifting the reticle pattern with respect to the blank to move the blankdefects into a non-critical design region. However, this method onlyworks if the design and blank defect map are favorably matched, and ifthe blank defects are detected prior to manufacturing the reticle. Inaddition, non-blank induced defects in an EUV reticle cannot becorrected in this manner. Finding blanks that are suitable for a givendesign takes time and increases cost for the reticles.

Some EUV reticle defects (but only a minority of blank-induced defects)may be repaired. For conventional transmissive reticles, defect repairis often possible, but if the defects are only detected after completionof the manufacturing process, the repair requires in most cases theremoval of the pellicle (a thin organic membrane on a metal frame thatis glued to the front surface, or active side, of the reticle), whichtakes time and may damage the reticle. Alternatively, all reticledefects may be corrected by writing a replacement reticle. However,writing a new reticle is expensive and adds significant time to thesetup time for a product, as no wafers may be printed while the newreticle is being produced. Further, a new reticle must be qualifiedagain (i.e., checked again for errors), thereby adding more time to thesetup time, and may include as many or more defects than the originalreticle. For EUV, the new reticle will suffer from the same issue ofinherent blank defectivity as the original reticle. The reliable supplyof defect-free EUV reticles is at present an unsolved problem for theindustry.

Weak spots may also be present in the design or be caused by opticalproximity correction (OPC) and may have the same effect as reticledefects. Such detected weak spots require a design re-spin and thewriting of a replacement reticle, both of which are costly and timeconsuming.

A need therefore exists for methodology enabling reticle defect, designweak spot, or OPC weak spot correction to obtain a defect-free patternon a wafer, without the need for a replacement reticle.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the present disclosure is a method of correcting reticledefects by a second exposure using a repair pattern on the reticle orusing a second reticle.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method of correctingreticle defects by a second exposure with a programmed electron beam(e-beam) writer or laser writer.

Additional aspects and other features of the present disclosure will beset forth in the description which follows and in part will be apparentto those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of thefollowing or may be learned from the practice of the present disclosure.The advantages of the present disclosure may be realized and obtained asparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

According to the present disclosure, some technical effects may beachieved in part by a method comprising: obtaining a first reticle witha first pattern corresponding to a design for a wafer pattern; detectingdark defects and/or design/OPC weak spots in the first pattern;obtaining a second reticle with a second pattern, the second patternbeing dark except for openings corresponding to the dark defects and/ordesign/OPC weak spots in the first pattern, or forming a second patternof openings on the first reticle in a region outside the first pattern,the openings corresponding to the dark defects and/or design/OPC weakspots in the first pattern; and exposing a resist covered wafer usingthe first and second patterns. Herein, the wafer pattern defined by thefirst pattern on the first reticle may belong to one layer in the waferproduction process which is preceded and/or succeeded by other patternedlayers formed with other reticles.

Aspects of the present disclosure include detecting clear defects in thefirst pattern; and converting the clear defects to dark defects in thefirst pattern prior to obtaining the second reticle or forming thesecond pattern, for example by depositing an absorbing material on theclear defects and adjoining clear regions. Further aspects includeadding alignment marks and/or overlay marks and/or metrology structureson the second reticle or in the second pattern on the first reticle;providing matching overlay marks in the first pattern or on anotherreticle used for patterning a layer on the wafer prior to or subsequentto exposing the resist covered wafer using the first and second patternsand/or leaving dark areas in the first pattern at the positionscorresponding to the metrology structures; and aligning the openings ofthe second pattern with the defects and/or design/OPC weak spots of thefirst pattern using the alignment marks and/or measuring the structurescorresponding to the overlay marks and/or metrology structures which areformed on the wafer after the exposures and development of the resist,thereby monitoring the process of the exposure with the second pattern.Other aspects include repairing some of the detected defects in thefirst pattern; converting remaining clear defects to dark defects; andobtaining a second reticle, or forming a second pattern on the firstreticle, having openings corresponding to remaining dark defects.Additional aspects include selecting a dose of exposure for the secondpattern; evaluating the wafer after the exposures and development of theresist or a subsequent etch process; adjusting the dose and alignment ofthe second exposure; and exposing one or more additional resist coveredwafers using the adjusted dose and alignment. Another aspect includesthe first reticle being an EUV reticle. Further aspects includedeveloping the resist, etching the wafer or implanting into the wafer,and stripping the resist; and coating a new resist onto the wafer,between exposing the resist coated wafer using the first pattern andexposing the resist coated wafer using the second pattern.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method including:obtaining a first reticle with a first pattern corresponding to a designfor a wafer pattern; detecting dark defects and/or design/OPC weak spotsin the first pattern; forming one or more repair patterns on the firstreticle, in the region outside the first pattern, or on a secondreticle; selecting the best matching repair pattern for each defectand/or design/OPC weak spot in the first pattern; exposing a resistcovered wafer using the first pattern; and exposing portions of thewafer corresponding to the dark defects and/or design/OPC weak spotsusing the repair patterns. Herein, the wafer pattern defined by thefirst pattern on the first reticle may belong to one layer in the waferproduction process which is preceded and/or succeeded by other patternedlayers formed with other reticles.

Aspects include detecting clear defects in the first pattern; andconverting the clear defects to dark defects in the first pattern priorto exposing the wafer using the first pattern. Other aspects includeconverting the clear defects to dark defects by depositing an absorbingmaterial on the clear defects and adjoining clear regions. Furtheraspects include adding alignment marks and/or overlay marks and/ormetrology structures in the region of the repair patterns; providingmatching overlay marks in the first pattern or on another reticle usedfor patterning a layer on the wafer prior to or subsequent to exposingthe resist covered wafer using the first pattern and the repair patternsand/or leaving dark areas in the first pattern that correspond to theareas containing the metrology structures; and aligning the openings ofthe second pattern with the defects and/or design/OPC weak spots of thefirst pattern using the alignment marks and/or exposing the wafer withthe overlay marks and/or metrology structures that were added in theregion of the repair patterns while aligning the marks and/or structureswith the corresponding marks and dark areas of the first pattern or theanother reticle, respectively, in addition to the exposures of the waferwith the first pattern and the selected repair patterns and/or measuringthe structures corresponding to the overlay marks and/or metrologystructures which are formed on the wafer after the exposures anddevelopment of the resist, thereby monitoring the process of theexposures with the repair patterns. Further aspects include detectingdark defects and clear defects in the first pattern; repairing some ofthe detected defects; converting remaining clear defects to darkdefects; and exposing portions of the wafer corresponding to theremaining dark defects using the repair patterns. Another aspectincludes selecting doses of exposure for the repair patterns; evaluatingthe wafer after the exposures and development of the resist or asubsequent etch process; adjusting the doses and alignment of theexposures with the repair patterns; and exposing one or more additionalresist covered wafers using the adjusted doses and alignment. Additionalaspects include the reticle being an EUV reticle. Further aspectsinclude developing the resist, etching the wafer or implanting into thewafer, and stripping the resist; and coating a new resist onto thewafer, between exposing the resist coated wafer using the first patternand exposing the resist coated wafer using at least one of the repairpatterns.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method including:obtaining a reticle; detecting dark defects and/or design/OPC weak spotson the reticle; programming an e-beam or laser writer to expose thewafer in the regions corresponding to the defects and/or design/OPC weakspots on the reticle; and exposing a resist covered wafer with thereticle and with the programmed e-beam or laser writer. Herein, thewafer pattern defined by the reticle may belong to one layer in thewafer production process which is preceded and/or succeeded by otherpatterned layers formed with other reticles.

Aspects include detecting clear defects on the first reticle; andconverting the clear defects to dark defects on the first reticle priorto exposing the wafer using the first reticle. Further aspects includeconverting the clear defects to dark defects by depositing an absorbingmaterial on the clear defects and adjoining clear regions. Furtheraspects include programming the e-beam or laser writer to write overlaymarks and/or metrology structures in addition to exposing the wafer inthe regions corresponding to the defects and/or weak spots on thereticle, prior to exposing the resist covered wafer with the e-beam orlaser writer; providing matching overlay marks on the reticle or onanother reticle used for patterning a layer on the wafer prior to orsubsequent to exposing the resist covered wafer using the reticle andthe e-beam or laser writer and/or leaving dark areas on the reticlecorresponding to the programmed metrology structures; and measuringstructures corresponding to the overlay marks and/or metrologystructures which are formed on the wafer after the exposures anddevelopment of the resist, thereby monitoring the process of theexposure with the e-beam or laser writer.

Other aspects include detecting dark defects and clear defects;repairing some of the detected defects; converting remaining cleardefects to dark defects; and exposing portions of the wafercorresponding to the remaining dark defects with the e-beam or laserwriter. Another aspect includes the reticle being an EUV reticle.Additional aspects include developing the resist, etching the wafer orimplanting into the wafer, and stripping the resist; and coating a newresist onto the wafer, between exposing the resist coated wafer usingthe first reticle and exposing the resist coated wafer using the e-beamor laser beam.

Additional aspects and technical effects of the present disclosure willbecome readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the followingdetailed description wherein embodiments of the present disclosure aredescribed simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated tocarry out the present disclosure. As will be realized, the presentdisclosure is capable of other and different embodiments, and itsseveral details are capable of modifications in various obviousrespects, all without departing from the present disclosure.Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded asillustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example, and not by wayof limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawing and in whichlike reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1A through 1C schematically illustrate a reticle with defects, acorrection reticle, and a defect-free resist pattern, respectively, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows a process flow for the exemplary embodiment associated withFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a reticle including a pre-definedrepair kit in the margins, in accordance with another exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 4 shows a process flow for the exemplary embodiment associated withFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a programmable e-beam writer, inaccordance with another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 shows a process flow for the exemplary embodiment associated withFIG. 5;

FIGS. 7A and 7B schematically illustrate a reticle with clear defectsand the reticle with the clear defects converted to dark defects, inaccordance with exemplary embodiments; and

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary modification of the process flow formultiple patterning sequences.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of exemplary embodiments. It should be apparent, however,that exemplary embodiments may be practiced without these specificdetails or with an equivalent arrangement. In other instances,well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form inorder to avoid unnecessarily obscuring exemplary embodiments. Inaddition, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities,ratios, and numerical properties of ingredients, reaction conditions,and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understoodas being modified in all instances by the term “about.”

The present disclosure addresses and solves the current problem ofreticle defects and design and OPC weak spots attendant uponlithographic patterning of a wafer. In accordance with embodiments ofthe present disclosure, the wafer is exposed a second time using acorrection reticle, a repair kit on the original reticle, or aprogrammed e-beam writer. The correction reticle may have a short writeand inspection time and may be significantly less expensive than theoriginal reticle. Likewise, a predefined repair kit written togetherwith the original design to the same reticle does not add significantwrite and inspection time, and is less expensive than writing a newreticle.

Methodology in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosureincludes obtaining a first reticle with a first pattern corresponding toa design for a wafer pattern, detecting dark defects and/or design/OPCweak spots in the first pattern, obtaining a second reticle with asecond pattern, the second reticle being dark except for openingscorresponding to the dark defects and/or design/OPC weak spots in thefirst pattern, or forming a second pattern of openings on the firstreticle in a region outside the first pattern, the openingscorresponding to the dark defects and/or design/OPC weak spots in thefirst pattern, and exposing a resist covered wafer using the first andsecond patterns.

Still other aspects, features, and technical effects will be readilyapparent to those skilled in this art from the following detaileddescription, wherein preferred embodiments are shown and described,simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated. Thedisclosure is capable of other and different embodiments, and itsseveral details are capable of modifications in various obviousrespects. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regardedas illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

Areas on the reticle, and defects in particular, may be described asclear areas (defects), those that transmit light or reflect EUVradiation, or dark areas (defects), which block light or EUV radiation.Clear defects on a reticle may be turned into dark defects in a repairprocess. Design or OPC weak spots, however, are generally too numerousto repair or modify on the reticle; therefore, only dark design or OPCweak spots (i.e. those that lead to a lack of illumination on the wafer)may be corrected in accordance with the present disclosure, unless thenumber of instances of clear weak spots on the reticle is less thanapproximately 100. Within this limitation, although correction ofreticle defects will be described below, correction of design and OPCweak spots may be accomplished in a similar fashion. It is understoodthat usually only those defects or weak spots that may lead tounacceptable deviations of the wafer pattern from the target pattern(i.e., those which are said to be “out of spec”) are addressed. Finally,all descriptions apply to reflective reticles (like EUV reticles) aswell conventional transmissive reticles. The term “opening” is usedequally for a clear area on a transmissive or a reflective reticle.

FIGS. 1A through 1C illustrate a reticle with defects, a correctionreticle, and a defect-free resist pattern, respectively, in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment. Adverting to FIG. 1A, a patterned reticleis illustrated as having three dark defects, 101, 103, and 105. If awafer is exposed using the reticle of FIG. 1A, the portions thatcorrespond to defects 101, 103, and 105 will not be exposed, and afterdevelopment of the exposed resist layer, defects will be formed at thecorresponding positions in the resist pattern.

Illustrated in FIG. 1B is a correction reticle, in accordance with anexemplary embodiment, which is primarily dark, with a clear patterncorresponding to the defects on the original reticle. Specifically,opening 107 corresponds to defect 101, openings 109 and 111 correspondto portions of defect 103, and opening 113 corresponds to defect 105.Note that the size and shape of the openings can differ from the sizeand shape of the respective dark defects to obtain the optimum result,or to facilitate manufacturing. Assist patterns, e.g. overlay marks, maybe included in the original reticle and the correction reticle, similarto assist patterns employed for double patterning, to aid in aligningthe correction reticle with the original reticle; other metrologystructures may be included in the correction reticle to measure thecritical dimension or size of the corresponding structures formed on thewafer after exposure and resist development. By exposing the wafertwice, once using the original reticle and a second time using thecorrection reticle, the combined exposures lead to a defect-free resistpattern, as illustrated in FIG. 1C. Although this embodiment requiresthe manufacturing of an additional correction reticle with similarprecision requirements as those of the original reticle, it neverthelessoffers clear benefits compared to a complete reticle re-write, since thecorrection reticle will contain an extremely small amount of patternedarea. The write and inspection time required to make the correctionreticle will therefore be very small. The same is true for thestatistical risk of incurring defects in the few square micrometers ofpattern on the correction reticle and, therefore, for the ensuing repaireffort and risk of reticle yield loss. Most importantly for EUV, due tothe low amount of patterned area on the correction reticle, blankdefectivity will be a very minor issue here, allowing the use oflower-grade blanks. Therefore, the correction reticle will be cheaperthan the original reticle and require shorter manufacturing time.Alternatively, if the original image field is small enough to leavesufficient room on the reticle (e.g., if it is placed in the upper halfof the reticle only), the correction pattern might be formed on the samereticle (e.g., in the lower half) in a second reticle patterning step.

Adverting to FIG. 2, a process flow for the first exemplary embodimentis shown. As illustrated, a first reticle, such as that shown in FIG.1A, is obtained in step 201, which can include the repair of somereparable defects; remaining out-of spec defects are detected on thereticle in step 203. The defects may be classified as dark defects andclear defects. A determination is made at step 205 as to whether thereticle includes any clear defects. Such clear defects are converted todark defects (step 207), as described in more detail with respect toFIGS. 7A and 7B below. The remaining defects and any newly created darkdefects may then be characterized. A resist covered wafer may then beexposed using the first reticle (step 209) and the defects may becharacterized on the wafer (step 211). Optimum additional exposureconditions, such as aerial image, shape of repair pattern, dose,alignment, and focus may be determined, and a second, or correction,reticle, such as that shown in FIG. 1B, may be obtained (step 213).Another resist covered wafer is then exposed using the first reticle andadditionally exposed a second time using the correction reticle (step215). The exposure with the correction reticle can occur after or beforethe exposure with the first reticle. In further optimization, theresulting wafer pattern at the defect positions may be characterized(step 217), and the alignment and dose for the second exposure may beadjusted to achieve the best result in further wafer exposures (step219). Overlay marks and metrology structures may be included in thecorrection reticle in step 213, and matching overlay marks and darkareas provided in the first reticle in step 201; the measurement of thecorresponding structures formed on the wafer after exposure and resistdevelopment may be used to monitor and control the exposure with thecorrection reticle in the further wafer exposures following step 219. Inaccordance with this embodiment, a single design containing tailor-maderepair patterns for all defects, at positions corresponding to theoriginal design, is employed. The repair pattern may be optimized foractual defects and easily aligned with the defects, and only oneadditional exposure is required. Although the correction exposure may bedone in the same chamber and with the same tool as the original exposure(e.g., an EUV tool), the correction exposure may take place in a lessadvanced tool, for example, a conventional exposure tool, and may employconventional UV light, rather than using EUV in an EUV tool; in thiscase, the correction reticle would be a conventional reticle, too. Useof the less advanced tool has the advantage of reducing costs, whereasan EUV tool has superior resolution. Further, the second exposure mayalternatively be performed prior to the first exposure.

In accordance with another embodiment, instead of obtaining a separatecorrection reticle, a pre-defined repair kit may be included in themargins of the original reticle, as illustrated in FIG. 3. As shown, thereticle includes the same defects 101, 103, and 105 as in FIG. 1A, butalso includes exemplary repair patterns 301 through 327. The repairpatterns may be small standard clear polygons well separated from eachother and from the main image fields. For each dark defect in theoriginal design, the most appropriate repair pattern is selected, and anadditional exposure is applied to the resist on the wafer. For example,for defect 101, repair pattern 303 is the closest match, whereas fordefect 103, repair patterns 301 (for the left-most portion of thedefect) and 303 (for the right-most portion of the defect) are optimal,and for defect 105, repair pattern 307 is the best match. Doses ofadditional exposures are optimized for the best repair results, andscanner reticle masking (REMA) blades are employed for narrowing thefields of additional exposures to selected repair patterns. Although notshown for illustrative convenience, the repair pattern on the originalreticle may alternatively be tailor-made to correspond to the actualdefects, and therefore be optimized for the actual defects. However, asecond patterning step of the reticle would be required. In stillanother variant, a larger and more variable repair kit may be put on aseparate reticle, potentially serving as a universal repair reticle forseveral production reticles. As in the exemplary embodiments describedwith reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, assist structures, as alignment marks,overlay marks, and metrology structures, may be added to the repair kit(especially if the kit is placed on a separate reticle), andcorresponding structures may be added to the original design.

the second exemplary embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 4. As shown, areticle including both the original design to be printed and apredefined repair kit, as illustrated in FIG. 3, is obtained in step401. According to step 403, defects are detected and characterized asdark defects or clear defects. If clear defects are detected at step405, they are converted to dark defects (step 407). A resist coveredwafer may then be exposed using the main pattern of the reticle at step409, and the defects may be characterized on the wafer (step 411).Optimum additional exposure conditions, such as aerial image, shape ofrepair pattern, dose, alignment, and focus may be determined. For eachdefect, the most suitable repair pattern and exposure condition is thenselected (step 413). Another resist covered wafer is then exposed usingthe main pattern and each of the selected repair patterns on the reticle(step 415). The exposure with the repair patterns can occur after theexposure with the main pattern, or the exposure with some or all of therepair patterns can occur before the exposure with the main pattern.Scanner reticle masking blades may be employed for narrowing the fieldof additional exposure to the selected repair pattern, and the reticleis re-aligned before each additional exposure. Upon reviewing theresulting wafer pattern at the repair sites (step 417), the parametersof the additional exposures may be readjusted for further waferexposures (step 419). Overlay marks and metrology structures added tothe original designs and the repair kit in step 401 and exposed togetherwith and in addition to the original design and the selected repairpatterns, respectively, may be used to monitor and control the exposureof the repair patterns in the exposure of further wafers following step419. Since the repair kit is not specifically tailored to the design,correction of the defects will usually involve multiple exposures usingthe repair kit, each time aligning a repair pattern with a defect, whilemasking other patterns. This will likely limit the practicability ofthis method to cases where the number of defects in the original patternis relatively small, i.e. smaller than approximately 10. Since design orOPC spots are usually more numerous than this when they occur, theapplicability of this method will in most cases be limited to realdefects. However, a pre-defined repair kit has the advantage of savingproduct setup time as no time is lost for writing a repair pattern aftercompletion of the original pattern. Besides, if the repair kit is placedon the original reticle together with the design, it is not necessary toexchange reticles between the main and the additional exposures, whichsaves cycle time and might be beneficial for overlay stability. Thisembodiment is particularly well suited for contact and via reticleswhich include mostly clear squares, with a defect generallycorresponding to a missing square.

Adverting to FIG. 5, a programmable e-beam writer 501 is illustrated fordirectly writing a repair pattern on the resist covered wafer 503 at thedefect positions to correct for reticle defectivity, in accordance withanother embodiment. A process flow corresponding to the use of an e-beamwriter is illustrated in FIG. 6. Adverting to FIG. 6, the process beginssimilar to the process flows of FIGS. 2 and 4, with a reticle beingobtained at step 601, defects being detected at step 603, the presenceof clear defects being determined at step 605, clear defects beingconverted to dark defects at step 607, a wafer being exposed using thereticle at step 609, and defects being characterized on the wafer atstep 611. Once only dark defects remain, an e-beam writer is programmedto expose each image field of the wafer at the position of the defectswith a suitable correction shape and dose (step 613) and another resistcovered wafer is exposed using the reticle and additionally exposed bywriting with the e-beam writer (step 615), which can happen after orbefore the exposure with the reticle. Within step 613, the e-beam writermay be programmed to write additional structures like overlay marks andmetrology structures, and corresponding marks and dark areas may beprovided in the reticle obtained in step 601. Finally, the resultingdefect pattern at the repair sites may be reviewed (step 617) tooptimize the parameters of the e-beam write process for further waferexposures (step 619). The overlay marks and metrology structures may beused to monitor and control the e-beam exposures in the further waferexposures following step 619. An exemplary estimation shows that theadditional cycle time required for the write process will be small: with100 defects on the reticle, each corresponding to an area of 10μ² on thewafer, and 100 exposure fields per wafer, the e-beam write area perwafer is 0.1 mm², and an estimated write time per wafer is less than oneminute. Therefore, using an e-beam writer to correct for reticle defectshas low time loss and high flexibility with no requirement foradditional reticles. However, it does require a separate tool orchamber, whereas exposure using a correction reticle or a repair kit ona reticle may occur in the same tool and chamber as exposure using theoriginal reticle. Using an e-beam writer also requires that the resistused for the exposure be sensitive to both the actinic radiation of theoriginal exposure and to electrons. Alternatively, a laser beam writerwith suitable wave length may be employed instead of an e-beam writer;this would, however, result in a poorer resolution of the correction.

FIG. 7A schematically illustrates a reticle including exemplary cleardefects 701 and 703. Adverting to FIG. 7B, the clear defects have beenconverted to dark defects 705 and 707. The defects are corrected bydepositing an absorbing material on the clear defects. However, sincethe defects are so close to the pattern, some of the reticle surroundingthe clear defects is also covered with the absorbing material.Accordingly, correction of the clear defects may cause new dark defects,such as defects 705 and 707.

In the exemplary embodiments described above, it is implied that thereticle defect correction is done by one or more additional exposures ofthe same resist layer that is exposed using the original reticlepattern. However, the correction may also be done by one or moreadditional patterning sequences after (or before) the originalpatterning sequence, in which a patterning sequence includes the stepsof resist coating, exposure, resist developing, and etching (or,alternatively, implantation).

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary modification of the process flow formultiple patterning sequences (showing only the most important processsteps). The sequence on the left hand side of FIG. 8 (steps 801 through809) illustrates reticle defect correction by additional exposure only,in this case with one additional exposure process after the originalexposure. As shown, the wafer is coated with a resist (step 801) beforean original exposure (step 803). A correction step 805 is insertedbetween the original exposure (step 803) and the resist develop process807. After resist develop, the wafer is etched (step 809). Step 805 isthe only additional step compared to the situation with a defect-freereticle. If, however, the correction is done by an additional completepatterning sequence, and not only by an additional exposure step,process steps 811 through 817 will be required between exposure step 803and correction exposure step 805. Specifically, after the originalexposure, resist develop process 811, an etching step 813, stripping ofthe remaining resist (step 815), and coating of a second resist layerfor the second patterning step (step 817) must be additionally insertedinto the sequence between steps 803 and 805 as indicated by thehorizontal arrow in FIG. 8. In the case of several correction exposures,as in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3, it is again possible to do allcorrection exposures within one additional patterning sequence (whichwill be the most practical variant in most cases), or to split them upinto several additional patterning sequences. In general, reticle defectcorrection by separate patterning sequences requires more additionalprocess steps than correction by additional exposures only, but mightoffer superior control in certain situations. Conceptually, this variantcould also be characterized as an automated wafer repair process.However, apart from the greater number of additional process steps, itis included into the wafer production flow in much the same way as theunaccompanied additional exposures described further up.

All exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 through 6 can be convertedinto correction by separate patterning sequences in much the same way.

The embodiments of the present disclosure can achieve several technicaleffects, such as reticle defect correction at relatively low cost, byusing a cheaper second reticle or repair pattern or by using aprogrammable e-beam or laser beam for a second exposure, without addingsignificant time to the setup time. Embodiments of the presentdisclosure enjoy utility in various industrial applications as, forexample, microprocessors, smart phones, mobile phones, cellularhandsets, set-top boxes, DVD recorders and players, automotivenavigation, printers and peripherals, networking and telecom equipment,gaming systems, and digital cameras. The present disclosure thereforeenjoys industrial applicability in any of various types of semiconductordevices, particularly for EUV technologies below 20 nm and other 28 nmand 20 nm technologies.

In the preceding description, the present disclosure is described withreference to specifically exemplary embodiments thereof. It will,however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be madethereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure, as set forth in the claims. The specification anddrawings are, accordingly, to be regarded as illustrative and not asrestrictive. It is understood that the present disclosure is capable ofusing various other combinations and embodiments and is capable of anychanges or modifications within the scope of the inventive concept asexpressed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: obtaining a reticle;detecting dark defects and/or design/OPC weak spots on the reticle;programming an e-beam or laser writer to expose a wafer in regionscorresponding to the dark defects and/or design/OPC weak spots on thereticle; and exposing the wafer, covered with a resist, with the reticleand with the programmed e-beam or laser writer.
 2. The method accordingto claim 1, comprising exposing the resist covered wafer with thereticle prior to exposing the resist covered wafer with the programmede-beam or laser writer.
 3. The method according to claim 1, comprisingexposing the resist covered wafer with the reticle subsequent toexposing the resist covered wafer with the programmed e-beam or laserwriter.
 4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:detecting clear defects in addition to dark defects on the reticle;repairing some of the detected defects; and converting remaining cleardefects to dark defects prior to exposing the wafer using the reticle;and programming the e-beam or laser writer to expose the wafer inregions corresponding the dark defects and the dark defects convertedfrom clear defects.
 5. The method according to claim 4, comprisingconverting the clear defects to dark defects by depositing an absorbingmaterial on the clear defects and adjoining clear regions.
 6. The methodaccording to claim 4, comprising: exposing a preliminary wafer using thereticle after converting the clear defects to dark defects;characterizing defects on the exposed preliminary wafer; programming thee-beam or laser writer to expose the resist covered wafer based on thecharacterized defects.
 7. The method according to claim 6, comprisingprogramming the e-beam or laser writer with a suitable correction shapeand dose based on the characterized defects.
 8. The method according toclaim 1, comprising: programming the e-beam or laser writer to writeoverlay marks in addition to exposing the wafer in the regionscorresponding to the defects and/or weak spots on the reticle, prior toexposing the resist covered wafer with the e-beam or laser writer;providing matching overlay marks on the reticle or on another reticleused for patterning a layer on the wafer prior to or subsequent toexposing the resist covered wafer using the reticle and the e-beam orlaser writer; and measuring structures corresponding to the overlaymarks which are formed on the wafer after exposing the wafer coveredwith the resist and developing the resist, thereby monitoring theprocess of the exposure with the e-beam or laser writer.
 9. The methodaccording to claim 1, comprising: programming the e-beam or laser writerto write metrology structures in addition to exposing the wafer in theregions corresponding to the defects and/or weak spots on the reticle,prior to exposing the resist covered wafer with the e-beam or laserwriter; providing dark areas on the reticle corresponding to theprogrammed metrology structures; and measuring structures correspondingto the metrology structures which are formed on the wafer after exposingthe wafer covered with the resist and developing the resist, therebymonitoring the process of the exposure with the e-beam or laser writer.10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reticle is an EUVreticle.
 11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:developing the resist, etching the wafer or implanting into the wafer,and stripping the resist; and coating a new resist onto the wafer, afterexposing the resist covered wafer using the reticle and prior toexposing the resist coated wafer using the e-beam or laser beam.
 12. Amethod comprising: obtaining a reticle; detecting clear defects and darkdefects and/or design/OPC weak spots on the reticle; repairing some ofthe detected defects; converting remaining clear defects to additionaldark defects; characterizing remaining dark defects and additional darkdefects; determining a suitable correction shape and dose based on thecharacterized defects; programming an e-beam or laser writer to expose awafer in regions corresponding to the additional dark defects and theremaining dark defects with the suitable correction shape and doseand/or to expose the wafer in regions corresponding to the design/OPCweak spots on the reticle; and exposing the wafer, covered with aresist, with the reticle and with the programmed e-beam or laser writer.13. The method according to claim 12, comprising exposing the resistcovered wafer with the reticle prior to exposing the resist coveredwafer with the programmed e-beam or laser writer.
 14. The methodaccording to claim 12, comprising exposing the resist covered wafer withthe reticle subsequent to exposing the resist covered wafer with theprogrammed e-beam or laser writer.
 15. The method according to claim 12,comprising converting the clear defects to dark defects by depositing anabsorbing material on the clear defects and adjoining clear regions. 16.The method according to claim 12, comprising: programming the e-beam orlaser writer to write overlay marks in addition to exposing the wafer inthe regions corresponding to the defects and/or weak spots on thereticle, prior to exposing the resist covered wafer with the e-beam orlaser writer; providing matching overlay marks on the reticle or onanother reticle used for patterning a layer on the wafer prior to orsubsequent to exposing the resist covered wafer using the reticle andthe e-beam or laser writer; and measuring structures corresponding tothe overlay marks which are formed on the wafer after exposing the wafercovered with the resist and developing the resist, thereby monitoringthe process of the exposure with the e-beam or laser writer.
 17. Themethod according to claim 12, comprising: programming the e-beam orlaser writer to write metrology structures in addition to exposing thewafer in the regions corresponding to the defects and/or weak spots onthe reticle, prior to exposing the resist covered wafer with the e-beamor laser writer; providing dark areas on the reticle corresponding tothe programmed metrology structures; and measuring structurescorresponding to the metrology structures which are formed on the waferafter exposing the wafer covered with the resist and developing theresist, thereby monitoring the process of the exposure with the e-beamor laser writer.
 18. The method according to claim 12, wherein thereticle is an EUV reticle.
 19. The method according to claim 12, furthercomprising: developing the resist, etching the wafer or implanting intothe wafer, and stripping the resist; and coating a new resist onto thewafer, after exposing the resist covered wafer using the reticle andprior to exposing the resist coated wafer using the e-beam or laserbeam.
 20. A method comprising: obtaining a reticle; detecting cleardefects and dark defects and/or design/OPC weak spots on the reticle;repairing some of the detected defects; converting remaining cleardefects to additional dark defects; characterizing remaining darkdefects and additional dark defects; determining a suitable correctionshape and dose based on the characterized defects; programming an e-beamor laser writer to write overlay marks and/or metrology structures andto expose a wafer in regions corresponding to the additional darkdefects and the remaining dark defects with the suitable correctionshape and dose and/or to expose the wafer in regions corresponding tothe design/OPC weak spots on the reticle; providing matching overlaymarks and/or dark areas corresponding to the written overlay marksand/or programmed metrology structures on the reticle or on anotherreticle used for patterning a layer on the wafer prior to or subsequentto exposing the resist covered wafer using the reticle and the e-beam orlaser writer; exposing the wafer, covered with a resist, with thereticle and with the programmed e-beam or laser writer; and measuringstructures corresponding to the overlay marks and/or metrologystructures which are formed on the wafer after exposing the wafercovered with the resist and developing the resist, thereby monitoringthe process of the exposure with the e-beam or laser writer